Education for Professionals

The Center is committed to advanced skills training for professionals currently working in the field of child and family advocacy. The Center collaborates with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) to offer two state of the art interdisciplinary training and skills development programs.

• Training the Lawyer to Represent the Whole Child, offered annually in June, is a unique training program created by nationally recognized child advocacy experts designed specifically for lawyers who make their careers working with children in the challenging environment of family court.
• Modern Divorce Advocacy provides litigation, mediation, and negotiation skills for lawyers who represent clients in divorce proceedings. The course is co-taught with mental health experts and participants develop skills in conducting a direct and cross examination of a forensic expert.

The Center also organizes lectures and conferences to inform the public and to promote dialogue among academic disciplines, policy makers and the judiciary about how children and families are treated by the legal system.